The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-16


Nothing is attracting the attention of
farmers more, at the present time, than
fertilizers. 1t is quite generally understood
that barn manure has a mechanical effect
on the soil which is not obtained from COM
mercial fertilizers; that the large quantity
of partially decayed vegetation it contains
lightens up the soil and finally adds humus
to it, but commercial fertilizers have a tend
ency to exhaust the humus and finally hard
en- the soil and make it lumpy, unless the
crops be of character to leave considera-
BILE quantity of vegetation to plow under
each year.
This is an advantage of barn manure that
is very generally understood by the farmers
who give the subject the least thought; but
there is another advantage which is too often
entirely overlooked, which is the chemical
action which barn manure has upon the soil
while in the process of decomposition.
When barn manure decomposes it pro-
duces large quantities of carbonic acid gas,
which, when it mingles with the soil, has
tendency to decompose the soil itself and as
the soil is rich in plant food that is locked
up In the stones and unfavorable until sepa-
rated, whatever is applied to the soil that
will make it available is so much gained. 1t
is true, the work of decomposition Of the
soil is always going Oh, but SO slowly that
it furnishes but small part of what is
needed for the growth of our forced crops
Whenever barn manure is compared with
commercial fertilizers it should always re-
ceive credit for what it is capable of doing
in the way of fastening the decomposition
Of the soil. As the plant food locked up in
the soil is inexhaustible whatever we can
apply that will make any of it available is
SO much clear gain to the farmer. 1t does
not, as many believe, exhaust the soil, but
rather improves it.
While many believe the barnyard manure
the best of all fertilizers, there are some
who think there is no fertilizer to compare
with the pea vine. Mr.. G.. P. Mclean, of
Rocky Springs, Miss, says that by sys-
tematic course in rotating in crops and
planting largely of cowpeas our lands will
soon be reclaimed and become very fertile
Aside from its uses as fertilizer as food
crop it is very valuable. On good land you
can make 20 to 80 bushels per acre that is
equal to double the quantity of corn, and
you can cut and save forage, in value more
than any crop of hay, and still get your
lands enriched by it. Where, then, can you
find more valuable crop to cultivated 1t
never fails to make a crop. 1t is the surest
crop know of and will pay you las fer
tilizer and food crop combined) better than
any other.
Mr.. L. j. Moor, of Newberne, N. c., says:
SIN the year 1885 l sowed broadcast a plot
of poor, worn out land with the ordinary
cowpea in the month of May. did not
cut or disturb them in any way. They lite
rally covered the EARTH and not ray of
the summers sun touched the ground during
the year after they were planted In jan
uary, 1886, plowed the land with two
horse pillow about ten or twelve inches deep,
thoroughly turning under the vines, stub
BILE, etc. Imanured the lands adjoining this
piece of which am writing very heavily,
but on this piece l put no manure of any
kind. The result was that the piece of land
I sowed in cowpeas brought nearly bale
of cotton to the acre, while the lands adj
joining did not do half so well. The secret
of restoring worn out lands is found in this
shading the land by sowing peas broadcast
the year preceding blowing in the vines. 1t
is better than all the composing; thus we
save the making of compost, the wear and
tear of teams, etc."
The Southern pea and cotton seed and
grass are the gold mines of the South that
may be successfully worked until ''time
shall be no longer" How long before they
will be appreciated: